Insiders News Notes and Weekly Report

The Insiders

09/29/2004

<p>Week 4 Insiders Takes. The Insiders bring you a weekly report card, with observations
on who's hurt, who's likely to play, and what the team's current prospects are
looking like. Get inside to see what our experts have to say about the Patriots
this week.</p>

INSIDERS SLANT

While every team spends its week game planning, the Patriots are one of the
few game plan teams. What's that mean? In simple terms, it means they don't
simply do what they do. They change what they do weekly based on the opponent
and rarely do they employ the same strategy twice against one team.

It's why offensively the Patriots might run a four- and five-wide spread offense
one week and a run-heavy plan the next as they did in Weeks 1 and 2 when Corey Dillon ran 15 times and 32 times, respectively. Quarterback Tom Brady, consequently,
threw 12 fewer times in the Week 2 win over the Cardinals than he did against
the Colts in the opener.

"This isn't really a tricky league like everyone thinks it is," Patriots
offensive coordinator Charlie Weis said. "Basically you have a philosophy.
We happen to be a game-plan team. Everyone knows that we are a game plan team,
which is why going into games, what we always try to do is take their personnel
and their scheme and try to find ways to attack it. I think that will be standard
throughout the entire season. Each team has its own personality."

Weis will have his hands full this week against a tough Bills defense that
shut out New England last September in Buffalo. When the two teams met in a
re-match, the Patriots ran a spread attack and quarterback Tom Brady threw four
first half touchdown passes to four different receivers. Brady's mental capacity
as a quarterback is perhaps his biggest strength and it allows the Patriots
to make variations to the offense from week to week.

"He's the next closest thing to a coach," Weis said of Brady. "It
has gotten to the point where we come in and put in the game plan and by the
end of the week, he knows the plan like a coach knows the plan. He has the ball
in his hands and it's a good thing to know you have a guy that really understands
what we are trying to do. I think the ability to put more responsibility on
the quarterback is directly related to his ability to handle those responsibilities."

Figuring how the Patriots will attack a Bills defense that has allowed just
26 points in its two losses is anyone's guess. But if Buffalo has a weakness,
it could be its defensive backfield depth, which is why the Patriots tried to
use its passing game to create favorable matchups last December when it turned
the tables and beat Buffalo by the same 31-0 score by which the Bills won in
Week 1 of 2003.

But even before Brady entered the picture, the Patriots changed their approach
every week in an effort to attack weak spots.

"We have always been that way," Weis said. "The NFL comes down
to two things. Personnel is No. 1 and then it's what they do and what you do.
That's what it comes down to. Who are their players? Who are your players? What
are their strengths and weaknesses? You have to try to hide your weaknesses
and play to your strengths and at the same time attack their weaknesses and
avoid their strengths. We have always (approached it) that way where a lot of
teams just believe in 'Here is what we do and we are doing it no matter what
they do.' That's not the way we play."

That, as much as anything else the Patriots do, makes them difficult to plan
for each week because the opponent doesn't know what it will get.

NOTES, QUOTES

The Patriots have done a remarkable job dodging questions about "the streak."
That, of course, is the 17-game winning streak they take to Buffalo this week.
Since losing last year in Orchard Park by an embarrassing 31-0 count, the Patriots
are an amazing 19-1. With a win this week, they will tie six other teams that
have won 18 straight games including postseason contests.

But streak talk should heat up this week since the team has the chance to tie
a feat last accomplished by the 1997-1998 Broncos. Head Coach Bill Belichick
laid the ground work for Buffalo preparation immediately following his team's
win in Arizona when he rhetorically answer a question with this question: "What
streak?"

Belichick is not about to let the 17 straight wins serve as a distraction with
the 18th on the line - never mind that it's the Patriots first division game
of 2004 to boot. So don't expect much about the streak this week beyond the
staple, "We don't really think about that" comment that has been uttered
repeatedly since the season opening win over Indy kept it alive on the heels
of last year's 15 straight to end the season.

WR Deion Branch has to be considered a long shot to play in Buffalo this
week after injuring his knee in Arizona. He moved around with the aid of crutches
last week and while the Patriots won't update his playing status until Wednesday
at 4 p.m., it would be a surprise if he were listed as anything better than
questionable.

LB Mike Vrabel took advantage of NFL rules in the Patriots' Week 2 win over
Arizona when he called for a second straight timeout as the Cardinals lined
up for a field goal after officials had just notified New England it could
not call back-to-back timeouts. He emphatically signaled for the timeout anyway,
which distracted Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers, who mis-hit the kick from
58 yards. Rackers complained after the play and the NFL acted by making any
such maneuver a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty effective immediately.
Don't be surprised to see the Patriots try some other tactic or find some
other loophole to keep the league's eye on them. It's widely believed that
the point of emphasis on defensive illegal contact and the alterations to
the injury report rules were made because of the Patriots use of each to their
advantage.

OT Adrian Klemm has had a tough career since becoming Bill Belichick's first
draft pick in New England back in the second round of the 2000 draft. Injuries
have plagued him since his arrival, many of the serious nature. They have
prevented him from making the kind of progress the Patriots hoped, and it's
led to spotty play when he has been healthy. Belichick, though, has not lost
confidence in the fifth-year veteran. "He has really matured as a player
for us," Belichick said. "He has battled through injuries and kept
a good attitude. He has worked hard. He's versatile and smart. He can play
guard and tackle and can play on both sides. Overall, our offensive line played
fairly well in both games. Now we are going to see a whole different style
of defense this week so we will see what that brings."

QB Jim Miller continues to progress health-wise and could begin to challenge
Rohan Davey for the No. 2 QB job behind Tom Brady. Miller did not participate
in training camp because he was still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery,
but made the active roster and has been throwing more and more since the start
of the season. He is virtually pain free throwing the ball, but doesn't know
how the shoulder would react to contact, although he says it feels better
than it did in 2002 when he played through pain.

RB Kevin Faulk will likely be questionable for Buffalo with a knee injury
suffered back on Aug. 28 in the preseason game at Carolina. Faulk missed the
first two games for personal reasons while back home in Louisiana where his
mother died two days before the opener. Faulk wasn't sure if he would have
been able to play last week if the Patriots weren't on a bye. If he is able
to return, he will spell Corey Dillon and play on third down. The Patriots
have been without a third down back in the first two games and Dillon has
split the chores with fullback Patrick Pass.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

REPORT CARD AFTER 2 GAMES

PASSING OFFENSE: A-minus
Quarterback Tom Brady has been solid through two games, throwing five touchdown
passes and three interceptions, one of which came on a Hail Mary on the final
play of the first half in Arizona. He opened the season with an impressive 26-of-38
effort for 335 yards and three scores. He has spread the ball around, completing
41 passes to 10 different receivers and that's been without Kevin Faulk, who
finished last year second on the team in receptions with 48. He has used his
wideouts, backs and tight ends effectively with Daniel Graham leading the way
with three touchdowns. The pass protection has been decent with Brady going
down four times in two games. He has done a nice job avoiding pressure with
his movement within the pocket and the offense has converted 54 percent of its
third down chances thanks to some big throws to extend drives.

RUSHING OFFENSE: A
What a difference Corey Dillon has made. The Patriots new running back has run
through some gaping holes, has found small creases and has burst through tacklers
and made them miss while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He ran 15 times for
86 yards in the opener and followed that with a workmanlike 32 carries for 158
yards in the Arizona desert where it was 109 degrees on the field at game time.
The offensive line has used a seven-man rotation, and Dillon is not yet familiar
with his blockers, but he has run well anyway and has come close to breaking
a long run on multiple occasions. He has certainly found a way to turn nothing
into something at times with his power and quickness. His longest run is 38
yards, which came against Indy in the opener, but he has six runs of 10 or more
yards through two games.

PASS DEFENSE: C-plus
Forget the opponents for a minute. It's time to judge the defense not on whom
it's played, but on how it's performed. In the opener, New England slowed Peyton Manning to some degree by limiting him to a 55 percent completion percentage.
But it hardly stopped the reigning NFL MVP, who completed 16-of-29 passes for
256 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He was not sacked until Indy's
final offensive play when Willie McGinest came clean off the edge and extended
a failed field goal try that could have tied the game. Manning's interception
was costly as it came on the 1-yard line when Tedy Bruschi saved a touchdown
with a diving grab. As much as the unit had its troubles with Manning and the
Colts passing game, it virtually dominated Josh McCown and the Cardinals air
attack. It sacked McCown five times, intercepted him twice and got its hands
on 10 passes while keeping the wraps on rookie wideout Larry Fitzgerald.

RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus
The same grading theory applies here. The Colts controlled New England's defense
with a seemingly unstoppable ground attack led by Edgerrin James' 142 yards.
The Colts rushed for 202 overall, but had trouble in short-yardage situations
until Peyton Manning ran a naked bootleg for 19 yards. It looked as though the
struggles might carry over to Arizona when Emmitt Smith's first two runs went
for 8 yards apiece, but New England settled down and limited Smith to 15 yards
on his last 11 carries in what amounted to a dominant effort. It remains to
be seen if the Patriots defense can stop a balanced offense, but fortunately
for it, there are very few truly balanced units.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B Adam Vinatieri is perfect through two games with five field goals, all from
within 43 yards. Punter Josh Miller has been excellent as well, averaging 46.5
yards per punt with a 39.8-yard net average. Opponents have only returned two
punts through two games and have averaged 21.9 yards per return on nine kickoff
returns. The Patriots fumbled away a punt in the opener when Deion Branch muffed
it, but Troy Brown returned to solidify the spot in Week 2 without any errors.
He showed he could still elude tacklers when he danced his way to a 22-yard
return after catching a punt on his own 10. Explosive kickoff returner Bethel Johnson has been quiet, averaging just 21.7 yard per return on six tries with
a long of 34 yards.

COACHING: A-minus
The Patriots have avoided the early-season pratfalls that wait to catch unsuspecting
defending champions. The experience of defending the title two years ago seems
to have helped the club in that it's maintained a business-like approach rather
than act like champions. Bill Belichick has been consistent in his message despite
the many accolades that have come his way. He has remained relatively low-key
and has made sure that his team knows how it won rather than the fact that it
did win. The team continues to follow Belichick's lead with a preparation-minded
approach focused on one game rather than on the winning streak that could easily
be dominating the press clippings. The Patriots ability to downplay that has
kept the distraction to a minimum. That mental approach has been as important
as any in-game decision, but it's clear that the Patriots have had two solid
game plans despite mixed results. The players definitely buy into what the coaches
ask of them and the decision to put more responsibility on Tom Brady's shoulders
appears to have paid off in the early going. The biggest in-game "mistake"
came at the end of the Colts game when the coaches refused to let Corey Dillon
try to run for a first down after picking up five yards on first down with just
more than 2:00 to go. Two failed passes later and the Colts had the ball and
time to mount a potential game-winning or game-tying drive. The Patriots escaped
with the win despite mishandling that situation.